Public interest journalism for Greenwich and SE London

Only one parking ticket per day issued at notorious Plumstead Road troublespot

Plumstead Road’s bus lanes are regularly blocked – yet only an average of one ticket per day has been issued in the past year

Greenwich Council has issued an average of only one parking ticket per day in the past year on a road which has become notorious for drivers blocking a bus lane with parked cars.

Only 425 fixed penalty notices were issued on all of Plumstead Road between April 2018 and March 2019, according to an answer to a Freedom of Information request made by 853 – an average of 1.16 per day.

The road, which runs between Woolwich town centre and Plumstead station, has become infamous for illegal parking and poor enforcement by the council. The situation is particularly bad outside the Greenwich Islamic Centre, where worshippers frequently leave the bus lane blocked, and close to the station, which has left buses unable to serve the busy bus stop there.

A licensed taxi was among cars in Plumstead Road’s bus lane on Friday

Greenwich Council’s attempts – or lack of attempts – to enforce the law have not been helped by it being one of just a handful of boroughs – and the only one controlled by a Labour group – to have not applied for permission from London Councils, the body representing the capital’s boroughs, for powers to use CCTV, meaning it has to rely on inspectors being present in person.

Last Friday lunchtime, 22 vehicles – including one licensed taxi – were parked in the bus lane outside the mosque, forcing buses to use the main carriageway. There were no parking enforcement officers to be seen.

In October, bus drivers petitioned Greenwich Council for more action to be taken on illegal parking in the road. In a response published in mid-February, the council said it had stepped up patrols and claimed that 60 tickets had been issued since December. 853 asked for a monthly breakdown of fixed penalty notices issued in the 440 metres between Walmer Terrace and Villas Road – the most notorious stretch – as an attempt to verify this claim. However, Greenwich Council only provided an annual figure for all 1.1km of Plumstead Road.

The Positive Plumstead Project, a local residents’ group, is discussing parking at its regular meeting this evening (Glyndon Community Centre, 7.15pm).

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